DoYouEvenLift

Hey guys. I have a 2013 fx4 supercrew and i'm building out a recovery kit for my truck

so far i've bought a 30 foot 3 inch 30,000lb recovery strap as well as a 6ft 3 inch 30,000lb tree saver (to use as a bridle or sling in between the 2 tow hooks in the front of my truck if i ever need to be pulled out from the front)

The only thing left i need is a recovery hitch with a shackle, and 2 shackles for the front closed tow hooks. I'm lost and confused about the ratings of the shackles and the hitch receivers and i just want to go ahead and buy it already.

Can anyone recommend me a good recovery hitch and some shackles that are tried and true and will holdup against the recovery of my truck or another(in case i have to help someone else out) ?? what brand, size, rating?

STingray1300

First off, this is a situation where you should "buy the best and cry once". I.e., don't cheap out. YOU might be the one to pay the price later.

For shackles, get ONLY "Crosby" brand. They are not made in China. Avoid Smittybuilt -anything-, or anything else made in China. If you get Crosbys, you can trust the load rating. Most shackle mounts have a 1" hole in them. That means you can use 4 3/4T shackles (3/4"). 7/8" - 6 1/4T shackles have a 1 1/16" pin, so won't fit a 1" hole. You really can't trust the ratings on Chinese steel shackles.

As for a "recovery hitch" goes, if you have a trailer hitch, you HAVE a recovery hitch. Just push the eye of the strap into the receiver and pin the strap in there. As good as it gets without aftermarket shackle mounts in an off road bumper. Those neat looking tow hooks welded onto a hitch have a dubious-at-best reputation for staying together in a pinch.

Here's a link to the thread covering the rear bumper build on my '13 FX4 S-crew, just to give you an idea of an option you may want to consider (?):

https://www.f150forum.com/f119/home-...-heavy-334666/

I'm now building a front bumper (in another thread).

Hope you put together the arrangement that works best for your needs!

DoYouEvenLift

I'll look into those shackles. The actual breaking point of those shackles is far above the WLL correct?

I've heard mixed reviews about using the hitch pin as a recovery point.

If I was to go the other route and buy a recovery hitch with a shackle, are there any that you would trust?

STingray1300

In over 40 years of wheelin' and recovering people (including myself), I've never used any "recovery hitches", so I can't endorse anything out there.. I just know what works...

Ricktwuhk

https://www.f150forum.com/f82/will-h...3/#post5031129

Blackbuzzard

I use recovery hitch to pull down notched trees.

Works great....also use pulley to redirect and 200 ft of 16,000 lb 5/8 line.

Much cheaper than tree service companies charge.

sigma pi

A ****** block?

sigma pi

what would the difference be between a hitch pin and recovery hitch? It seems like its the same thing.

Blackbuzzard

http://www.sherrilltree.com/cmi-heav...-diameter-rope

Arborists call it a pulley.....now I'm confused.

Not using much pulling force at all to drop trees so far. Tree is notched and yank strap is placed 10-20 ft up the tree for leverage, then attach 200ft 5/8 line, and pull.

Pulling out stuck vehicles would involve much more force.

Blackbuzzard

In theory, you are applying force across the full 2" width with just a pin and yank strap. More likley to bend and break the pin, than if a solid block with same pin inserted is used.....again in theory.

Notice how the D shackle is shaped in consideration of bending moment etc.


I've never pulled anything other than trees with "recovery hitch" thing.